


Vibes & Voltage With a Side Of Reverberation & Static

by AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Background Character Death, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Like really slow burn sorry, Metahumans, Mutual Pining, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Slow Burn, Troubling Backstories, badassery, cinnamon roll cisco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8426944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed/pseuds/AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed
Summary: The eventual relationship of Hayley Poole and Cisco Ramon, and their doppelgangers, how they came to be, and they are more connected than one might think.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So...yeah. Hope you like. Please comment/kudos if you do

“Your hands are shaking.”

 

Hayley glanced down her her trembling hands, then  at her best friend, Cisco Ramon, who was grinning his contagious smile at her next to her at the console.

 

“I’m excited,” she said simply, a large smile blooming on her face.

 

He laughed and ruffled her spiky black pixie-cut. “Girl, me too.”

 

“Nervous as hell too,” she added.

 

“Don’t be. You helped design the accelerator; there’s no way anything could go wrong,” he reassured her.

 

“Cisco, everything about this is just so huge. We’re making history tonight; I’m just worried it’ll be the wrong kind.”

 

“Hayley Victoria Poole,” Cisco said seriously, putting his hands on her shoulders, “Everything is going to be okay.”

 

Hayley smiled at him, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Was it possible for a human being to be so adorable?

 

“Okay,” she whispered. “If you say so, Francisco Armando Ramon.”

 

“Atta girl,” he grinned, turning back to the console as Harrison Wells came up behind them.

 

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”

 

Everyone in the room instantly straightened and turned to look at the famous scientist. Wells was well-known for his scientific and technical prowess, as well as the founder of S.T.A.R. Labs, and their boss. No one wanted to disappoint him.

 

"I'd like to thank all of you for all your hard work and dedication to this project," Wells announced. "None of this would be possible without the joint effort of so many." He smiled warmly at the room.

 

"Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have a speech to make. The price of being a genius,"  Wells cracked. He glanced across the room. "Dr. Snow, if you'll come along."

 

Hayley winked at their friend Caitlin Snow as she untangled her fingers from her fiance Ronnie's hand and followed Wells.

 

"You gonna be okay without your girl, Ronnie?" Cisco teased once Wells and Caitlin were gone. Ronnie Raymond smirked at Cisco.

 

"At least I have a girl."

 

Cisco clutched at his chest dramatically. "Ronnie, I'm hurt!" he proclaimed as Hayley laughed.

 

"Don't worry," she said, punching him in the shoulder lightly. "You'll find someone."

 

"Awww, see Ronnie? Hayley loves me."

 

 _Isn't that the truth_ , she thought.

 

"Come on. Let's watch Wells make some stuffy speech," Cisco said turning to face the TV.

* * *

 

**Earth-2**

 

“ _Isn't she lovely,_

_Life and love are the same_

_Life is Aisha_

_The meaning of her name_

_Londie, it could have not been done_

_Without you who conceived the one_

_That's so very lovely made from love.”_

 

With the last note, the crowd at Jitterbugs erupted into applause, and the red-haired singer smiled at all of them as she was showered with praise. Handing the microphone to Joseph West, another one of the popular music-makers, she made her way through the admiring group of people, graciously accepting compliments, skillfully weaving a path to a young man who stood by the wall.

 

“That’s my girl,” he murmured, taking her hand, pausing to smile at the way the ring on her left hand glittered in the light of the room, his long dark hair falling into his face as he grinned at her.

 

“That one was for you, baby,” she whispered.

 

“Don’t I know it,” he replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead.  “Well, Hayley-” He twirled a curl of copper around his finger. “-what do you say you and I go home? There’s a bottle of wine with your name on it.”

 

“Sounds great,” she smiled, kissing him. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

Hayley couldn't believe how everything seemed to go to hell with one loud bang.

 

Something was wrong with the particle accelerator, and now she was frantically searching for answers in the Cortex while Ronnie and Cisco had run down to the accelerator to try and fix it.

 

Wells had disappeared at some point, maybe to go and make his own calculations, she didn't care. She was too busy taking deep breaths and trying not to panic, despite the churning in her stomach.

They'd warned Wells. They'd warned him about the storm, but he'd insisted on it anyway. She felt a twinge of resentment towards Wells, but it seemed irrational at the moment, and she waved it away.

 

“Hayley.” She looked up at Caitlin, who looked simultaneously terrified and determined.

 

“Go and try to shut the power down,” Caitlin instructed. “I'm going to check on Ronnie and Cisco.” Hayley nodded, and rose from her chair.

 

The two women bolted out of the Cortex and went their separate ways.

* * *

 

**Earth-2**

 

“So, here's to a five year anniversary,” Hayley said, clinking her wineglass  against her husband's.

 

“Cheers.”

 

She reached over and laced her fingers through his. “I love you,” she said quietly.

 

He smiled, and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “I love you too.”

 

“When did you realize that?” she wondered aloud, suddenly curious.

 

“That I loved you?” he asked, and when she nodded, he thought for a moment.

 

“I think...it was after I'd been coming to the lounge for about six  months. That night, you were singing ‘Love Song’ by Sara Bareilles. You just looked so bright and happy and beautiful.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “What about you?”

 

She sat up a little straighter.

 

“Well...It might've been the first time I heard you laugh,” she answered. “You weren't afraid of letting people know you were happy. And it made me smile.”

 

He leaned forward and kissed her. “Hayley Victoria Ramon,” he whispered, “you are my light in the world, you know that?”

* * *

 

Hayley raced down the hallway, the red lights pulsing on the wall making her feel dizzy.

 

Why did they have the breaker room on the opposite side of the building,  as far away from the Cortex as possible?

 

Finally coming across the room, she ran inside and began looking for the circuit breaker.

 

Cisco and Ronnie might be some of the most brilliant people she knew,  but if they couldn't fix the accelerator, it would be catastrophic.

 

Her fingers found the handle that would turn off all the power to the building, including the particle accelerator.

The moment she grasped the handle and began to flip it, a sudden orange-yellow light blinded her, and she felt energy surging through her body.

 

When she was four she had  accidentally stuck her fingers in an electrical outlet and had gotten the shocking of her life.

 

That was nothing compared to the tingling that was coursing through her veins. Her knees buckled, her vision went dark, and she could have sworn she heard someone screaming.

* * *

 

**Earth-2**

The lights had begun to flicker, causing the  both of them to glance at  the ceiling irritatedly.

 

“Not it,” they said at the same time, neither of them wanting to move from their positions next to each other.

 

“Rock,  paper, scissors?” Francisco suggested.  

 

“Mmph. I'll go.” Hayley untangled herself from his arms and ran a hand through her hair.

 

“I'll thank you fully when you get back,” he said, only half-joking.

 

“Mm. You better,” she teased, walking to the utility room.

 

She started to flip the switch on the circuit breaker when an inexplicable feeling caused a shiver to travel down her spine, and she felt her skin crawl.  

 

A moment later, pain  akin to an electric shock surged through her and she cried out, falling to her knees.

 

“Hayley? Are you- _holy fuck_ -!”

 

She heard a thud from the living room and tried to call out for Francisco, but when she tried to sit up she was shaking too hard, and eventually darkness took her, and she succumbed to blackness.

* * *

 

“Hayley?”

 

Hayley blinked her eyes open. They felt ridiculously heavy, like two tons of pressure had just been applied.

 

When her vision came into focus, it was Cisco's brown,  bloodshot eyes she saw first.

 

“Cisco?” she guessed.

 

“Yeah. It's me. Are you okay?” His voice was thick, and it shook.  

 

“Yeah, I think so…” With his help she managed to sit up,  wincing at her massive headache. “What happened?”

 

“The particle accelerator blew up." 

 

“ _What?_ Oh my God, is anyone hurt?”

 

“We're trying to find Wells. I don't really know about anyone else. But…” He trailed off.

 

“But what, Cisco?” Hayley asked.

 

“Ronnie-” His voice cracked. “Ronnie didn't make it.”

 

Hayley felt as though someone had just punched her in the stomach. No, not Ronnie-

 

“Wh-how-”

 

“Come on,” Cisco said, pulling her to her feet. “There are paramedics outside;  they can get a better look at you.”

 

Hayley was still too shocked to grieve, and let herself be led by Cisco.

  
Neither of them had any idea that a certain forensics scientist had just been struck by lightning, and that very soon,  their lives would change forever.

* * *

 

 

**Earth-2**

When they had been searching for apartments, they had discussed whether or not to get carpet or hardwood floors. 

 

They'd eventually settled on hardwood floors, something Francisco was regretting now. 

 

He sat up, hissing through his teeth at the pain that shot through his head. Everything felt fuzzy, his head felt like it had been split in two, he tasted blood  _ and was that _ -yup, his fingers came away red; he had a nosebleed. 

 

Swearing in Spanish, he shoved himself into a standing position, vaguely wondering if Hayley’s head hurt as much as his-

 

_ Hayley _ . Where was she? He'd heard her cry out, and had gone to check on her when a shockwave of  _ something _ made his skin crawl and pain had wracked his head…

 

He'd passed out. 

 

_ Damn it _ .

 

“Hayley?” he called, stumbling towards the utility room. He tried flicking the light switch, but it wasn't turning on. Still, if he squinted, he could see silhouettes-

 

_ Oh God _ . She lay on the floor in a crumpled heap and she wasn't moving. 

 

“Hayley?” he repeated frantically, dropping to his knees in front of her. His fingers reached for a pulse, and to his relief he found it beating steadily. 

 

She stirred suddenly with a low moan and her eyes fluttered open. “Francisco?” she croaked, struggling to sit up. “What-” 

 

“Hey, hey, don't move,” he said softly, slipping his hand into hers. 

 

“My head is killing me,” she mumbled. 

 

“Me too, baby.” She might need the hospital, after falling on the white tile of the utility room.  Hell, he might need the hospital. 

 

“Stay right here, okay?” he said gently. “I'm going to go get the phone.”

 

“Okay,” she replied faintly. 

 

He gripped the doorway as he pulled himself up, every muscle in his body screaming at him. 

  
What the hell happened?

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Cisco, what are you doing?” Hayley inquired as she watched her best friend/longtime crush meticulously place a pair of headphones over the ears of Barry Allen, the man they'd been taking care of for the past nine months. She could hear strains of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” while she checked his heart monitor. 

 

They’d all gotten oddly attached to the guy, considering he was in a coma 24/7 and was terrible at making conversation.

 

“What? He likes this song!” Cisco said, gnawing on a strawberry Twizzler. 

 

“How could you possibly know that?” Caitlin demanded.

 

“I checked his Facebook page,” Cisco answered cheerfully. “I mean, he can hear everything, right?”

 

“Auditory functions  _ are _ the last sensory faculties to degenerate,” Caitlin conceded.

 

“Wait, you checked his Facebook page?” Hayley commented. “That’s kind of stalker-ish, Cisco.”

 

Cisco shrugged and began to walk back over to the console, singing “Poker Face” under his breath.

 

“ _ Can’t read my, no he can’t read my poker-”  _

 

Barry suddenly sat up with a gasp, eyes wide. Despite only having four people in the room, the Cortex sprang into chaos,

 

“Oh my  _ God _ !” Cisco exclaimed, spinning around. 

 

“Where am I?” Barry asked, staring wildly around the room. 

 

“He’s up,” Caitlin announced. 

 

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Hayley said as Cisco scrambled for a walkie-talkie.

 

“Dr. Wells, get down to the Cortex, like right now!” 

 

“-over 110, pulse 120, pupils equally reactive to light,” Caitlin rattled off data, shining a bright light into Barry’s eyes while simultaneously trying to pin him down, the poor man trying to escape, utterly confused. “Look at me. Look at me,” she ordered.

 

“Caitlin, hold up. You’re freaking him out,” Hayley said, putting a hand on her friend’s arm, who backed off long enough for Cisco to stroll up. Barry was now breathing like he was about to have an asthma attack.

 

“Hey, hey, relax; everything’s okay, man,” Cisco said, clapping a reassuring hand onto Barry’s shoulder. “You’re at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

 

“S.T.A.R. Labs?” Barry echoed, bewildered. “Who-who are you?” 

 

Cisco beamed and  instantly began gesturing with his Twizzler. “I’m Cisco Ramon, that’s Hayley Poole, and that’s Caitlin- _ Dr. Snow _ -” 

 

“I need you to urinate in this,” Caitlin said, holding up a plastic jar, deadly serious. 

 

“Not this second!” Cisco chided her, plucking the jar from her grasp as Hayley wrinkled her nose. 

 

“Wait, what is happening? What is going on?” Barry reeled away from the three of them.

 

“You were struck by  _ lightning _ , dude,” Cisco explained, though the excitement in his voice betrayed the total seriousness of the statement.

 

“Wh-” Barry seemed at a loss for words and turned away from them, only to stop still in front of a mirror.

 

“Lightning...gave me abs?” 

 

“ Your muscles should be atrophied, but instead they're in a chronic and unexplained state of cellular regeneration,” Caitlin noted, starting to experimentally poke Barry. 

 

“Hey, come over here. Have a seat,” Hayley said, and she and Cisco both guided him over to the hospital bed, and Barry sat, stunned. 

 

Hayley was about to gently explain the whole situation, but Cisco beat her to it with a blunt “You were in a coma.” 

 

“Cisco!” she scolded. Barry stared up at Cisco incredulously. 

 

“What? For how long?”

 

“Nine months,” a voice answered from the doorway, and out of habit, Hayley straightened up as they all turned to face Harrison Wells, who somehow managed to look totally in control of the universe while sitting in a wheelchair. “Welcome back, Mr. Allen,” Wells said genially. “We have a lot to discuss.” 

 

Wells began to lead Barry away, explaining what had happened over the last nine months, leaving Cisco, Caitlin, and Hayley behind. For a few minutes, no one said anything. 

 

“He woke up,” Hayley said, the full weight of what had just happened sinking in. “Guys,  _ he woke up _ . From a nine months coma.”

 

“I know!” Cisco said excitedly. “This is so cool! Hey, do you think he likes Star Wars?” 

 

“Everyone likes Star Wars, Cisco,” Hayley said.

 

“Yeah, but really likes Star Wars. And what if his favorite movie was  _ Attack Of The Clones _ ?” Cisco shuddered.

 

“No self-respecting, true Star Wars fan favors  _ Attack of The Clones _ over  _ Empire Strikes Back _ ,” Hayley scoffed, and Cisco nodded in acknowledgement.

 

The doors to the Cortex opened, and Wells and Barry came back in.

 

“--Now, I'm not the most popular person in town these days but, Detective West and his daughter gave me permission to bring you here, where - we were able to stabilize you,” Wells finished.

 

“Wait, Iris?” Barry said, and Hayley wondered, was she mistaken, or had Barry’s voice taken on a wistful tone?

 

“Yes, Iris. She came to see you quite often,” Wells smiled.

 

“She’s nice,” Hayley said.

 

“She talks a lot,” Caitlin sniffed, handing Wells a thermos.

 

“Also, she’s hot,” Cisco grinned, and no one with the exception of Caitlin noticed the way Hayley scowled. 

 

“I need to go,” Barry said, rushing towards the exit.

 

“No, you can't!” Caitlin said scandalized. 

 

“No, no, no Caitlin's right, now that you're awake we need to do more tests; you're still going through changes and there's so much we don't know,” Wells tried to persuade him. 

 

“I'll feel fine,” Barry insisted. “Really, I feel completely normal, thank you for saving my life!”

 

“Really?” Caitlin muttered exasperatedly as Barry disappeared around the corner. 

 

Barry's head popped back. “Can I keep the sweatshirt?” he asked sheepishly. 

 

“Yeah, keep the sweatshirt,” Wells sighed. Barry nodded and rushed out. 

 

“Now what?” Cisco asked. 

 

“We can't let him meander around the streets, Dr. Wells, he could have been affected!” Caitlin protested. 

 

Before Wells could reply, Hayley stepped in. “He just woke up from a nine-month coma. He should adjust back to familiar surroundings. If he's affected, I'm sure we'll figure something out, right?” 

 

“True enough, Hayley,” Wells admitted. “We'll give him a little while.” 

 

“Okay, so like I said: now what?” Cisco interjected. 

 

“How about I drive downtown and pick up some stuff from Big Belly Burger?” Hayley suggested. “I think we could all use it.” 

 

“Excellent idea, Hayley,” Wells said. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go over Barry's medical data.” 

 

“I'll join,” Caitlin said. 

 

“Yo, Hayley, want me to come with?” Cisco asked. 

 

She smiled at him. “Sure. Come on.” She grabbed her keys and the two of them strolled out of the Cortex.

* * *

 

**Earth-2**

Francisco unlocked the door to the apartment, and opened it, noting a small creak of the hinge. Ah, well. He'd fix it later. 

 

“Hayley?” he called, setting his keys down with a jingle on the table. 

 

“Here,” she mumbled from the couch, covering her face with a throw pillow. 

 

“Headache?” he asked sympathetically, walking around and kneeling by the couch.  

 

She lifted the pillow off her head and blearily looked sideways at him, eyes red. “Headaches aren't this brutal,” she muttered. “It feels like someone took a red hot poker to my brain.” 

 

He pressed his lips to her temple. “Any better?” he asked innocently.

 

She gave a weak laugh. “A little.” 

 

“Can we consider you down for the count?” 

 

She sighed. “Yeah, sorry. I know tonight's Movie Night-”

 

“Hey, you don't feel good. It's okay,” he said softly as he  scooped her up into his arms and carried her towards the bedroom. 

 

“You should sleep, anyway,” he added, setting her down on their bed. 

 

“Mmph. Feels like that's all I do nowadays,” she replied. 

 

“You've got the doctor's appointment soon, right? Maybe Dr. Lance can help out.” 

“Sometimes I don't think Dr. Quentin Lance knows his own head from his ass,” Hayley responded dryly, “but maybe.” 

 

Francisco smirked and kissed her cheek. “I'll join you soon,” he told her. “Just need to take a shower.” 

 

“If I didn't feel like complete and utter shit I'd ask to come with,” she joked half-heartedly.

 

“You know I'd let you,” he replied without missing a beat. 

 

“I'm going to sleep now.” 

 

“Alright. I'll be back.” 

 

He left the room, and rubbed his eyes. She'd been having terrible migraines for months now, and it wasn't just her. He did too, some days. 

 

He'd pretended like he was just dehydrated or tired, or something along those lines. 

 

But it wasn't the truth. 

 

And with the headaches came weird hallucinations-no, he just  _ wished _ they were hallucinations.  Instead, he saw things moments before they happened. 

 

Like those two months after what he and Hayley had called the Freak Pass Out,  or just the Incident. 

 

_ He didn't even know what caused it, but the images came.  _

 

**_A humanoid black blur, crackling with blue lightning, weaving between police officers, snapping their necks and shoving what looked like gloved hands into chests until only one remained._ **

 

**_The scene changed, and the police officer that had been left standing was sitting in his own home when the black blur came in and did things Francisco wished he could unsee._ **

 

_ And just like that,  he was back, and Hayley was staring in horrified shock at the television as a reporter relayed the same events Francisco had seen first.  _

 

He never told her what he saw, because not long after that the black blur ended up openly revealing themselves-well, himself, it seemed. 

 

Zoom was a name the city learned to call him, and he was looking for others with powers. He wanted them to work for him. 

 

There was no way Francisco was going to endanger Hayley or anyone else. 

 

Better to stay hidden. 

 

Better to stay safe. 

 

Better to keep that maniac away from him and the people he cared about. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: violence, troubling situations, death

Barry didn’t stay away for long. Within a few hours, he came (literally) speeding back into the lab in a flurry of yellow lightning, panicking and freaking out, shouting about how the world “was really, really slow, like scary slow!” and  “how the hell did that happen?”

 

The rest of them flew into action, preparing tests and technology to try and figure out what the hell had happened to Barry.

 

It was an unspoken truth among the team that the particle accelerator had something to do with Barry's crazy superspeed.

* * *

 

“Superspeed; isn't this awesome?” Cisco said to Hayley as he tinkered with a small gadget.

 

“Definitely,” she replied. “I wonder how fast he can go.”

 

“I guess we'll find out,” Cisco said,  glancing at the trailer where Barry was inside.

 

“You don't really believe he can run that fast, do you?” Caitlin asked Dr. Wells disbelievingly.

 

“Well, I believe anything is possible, and in a few minutes, maybe  you will too,” Wells replied confidently.  

 

At that moment, the trailer door opened.

 

“How does it fit?” Cisco called to Barry.

 

Barry stepped out looking disgruntled in what Hayley had dubbed “the skin tight onesie,” and a helmet, and Hayley had to fight to keep from laughing.

 

“It's a little snug,” Barry admitted. Hayley suppressed a snort.

 

“At least you'll be moving so fast no one will see you,” Cisco said. He and Hayley followed him out to the runway.

 

“See, you thought the world was slowing down. It wasn't,” Cisco told him.

 

“You were moving so fast, it only looked like the world was standing still,” Hayley explained.

 

“Dr. Wells will be monitoring your energy output and Caitlin your vitals. Hayley is forming an algorithm to try and calculate your top speed.”

 

“What do you do?” Barry asked him.

 

“I make the toys, man!” Cisco grinned. Hayley tried not to smile at Barry's puzzled expression.

 

“Check it, This is a  two-way headset with a camera I modified, typically designed to combat battlefield impulse noise,” Cisco announced, holding up his gadget, a small circle with a lightning bolt design on it.

 

“Or in your case, potential sonic booms,” Hayley added.

 

“Which would be awesome,” Cisco said excitedly, pulling a befuddled Barry’s helmet off.

 

Hayley gave Barry a reassuring pat on the shoulder and followed Cisco back towards the trailer as Caitlin came forward to make the final adjustments on measuring Barry's vitals.

 

“Have you talked to her lately?” Hayley whispered to Cisco, glancing over his shoulder at their friend.

 

“No, but I think it's hitting her a little harder today,” Cisco replied quietly. “I mean, Ronnie-” he hesitated, and Hayley felt her heart twist at the mention of their late friend. “-Ronnie died, and Barry happened to miraculously wake up from a nine month coma. I'd bet that's a little hard to swallow.”

 

Hayley nodded wordlessly. She and Cisco had spent many an hour talking about Caitlin over shitty beers, expressing how much they worried about her. Cisco had only really known Caitlin when she was with Ronnie, but Hayley had been there to watch the entire workplace romance unfold and progress.

 

“This might give her something new to throw herself into,” Hayley suggested. “I mean, going full workaholic isn't the best plan, but if it helps her cope a little more…”

 

“Maybe,” Cisco said. “Think we should ask and see if she wants to have a movie marathon tonight?”

 

“Yeah, that might help her a little,” Hayley agreed. “Just...let’s not suggest any Jane Austen movies, unless she asks. You know they remind her of-of Ronnie.”

 

“True.” Cisco started to attach the headset to the helmet. Caitlin walked past them, wearing the blank expression that had become normalcy over the past nine months. Hayley peered over at Barry, who now looked rather somber. Uh oh. Had Caitlin told him about everything that had happened?

 

“Mr. Allen,” Wells called to Barry. “While I am extremely eager to determine your full range of abilities, I do caution restraint.”

 

Barry only nodded. Cisco handed him back his helmet, and Barry took his place, ready to run, while Cisco stood behind him with a radar gun.

 

A split second later, Barry took off, and a great force of wind knocked both Cisco and Hayley off their feet, sent papers flying and the trailer shuddered with the unexpected gust. As Hayley scrambled to her feet, all she could see was a blur of yellow lightning as Barry hurtled down the runway.

 

“Holy shit,” she breathed.

 

“He just passed 200 knots per hour,” Cisco announced, looking around at his awed teammates’ faces.

 

“That’s not possible,” Caitlin said in disbelief.

 

“It is now,” Hayley said, glancing over at Wells to see him peering down the runway, trying to see all the way to where Barry was. One could almost hear the gears in his brain grinding away.

 

And then it all stopped. They all heard a loud crash over the headset, Barry’s heart rate suddenly spiked, and then the sound of Barry groaning came on over the headset. “Barry? Are you okay?” Hayley called into the mouthpiece Cisco handed her.

 

“...I think my arm’s broken,” Barry replied.

 

Hayley swore.

 

“Let’s go get him,” Cisco said worriedly.

* * *

**Earth-2**

Hayley left her doctor’s office feeling rather disgruntled. Dr. Quentin Lance had come up with at least a half-dozen different reasons for her migraines, and over ten different solutions. She only wanted one, damn it. She glared at the piece of paper containing her prescription medicine, something she couldn’t pronounce with at least two x’s and five e’s.

 

Dr. Lance had warned her about the side effects, but honestly, whatever side effects the drugs had was nothing compared to what she had been dealing with for the past nine months.

 

She hadn’t told Francisco, because, well, she didn’t want to freak him out. Besides, he and his brother Dante had been pretty busy lately at the mechanic’s shop they owned. Francisco always teased Dante about wanting to become a world-famous pianist when they were kids, but Dante was surprisingly good-natured about it, or at least that was how he acted. The two brothers were rather close, Hayley sort of wished she had that with her sister, Amy.

 

She called Jitterbugs’ owner, Eddie Thawne, and told him she would be in for work later, then wrenched open her car door to go off to the pharmacy to get her damn painkillers.

 

This so wasn’t worth the fifty dollars she’d paid for the appointment.

* * *

 

“It looks like you had a distal radius fracture,” Caitlin told Barry, showing him the X-ray they’d taken.

 

“Had?” Barry echoed.

 

Caitlin swiped the image to another X-ray. “It’s healed. In three hours.” She sounded as though she still couldn’t believe it.

 

“How is that even possible?” Barry asked, eyes wide.

 

“We don’t know. Yet,” Caitlin said through gritted teeth. Hayley knew that if there was one thing Caitlin hated, it was things she didn’t know the answer to.

 

“You really need to learn how to stop,” Cisco cut in, holding up the helmet, the mangled headpiece dangling from the side. Barry gave a sheepish smile.

 

“What happened out there today?” Wells asked, going into what Hayley called his ‘psychiatrist mode.’ “You were moving pretty well and then something caused you to lose focus.

Barry shifted uncomfortably. “I started remembering something,” he admitted reluctantly, his voice dropping to a rasp.

 

Wells lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

 

“When I was eleven, my mother was murdered,” Barry whispered. Everything stilled, and suddenly, all eyes were on Barry. Even Cisco’s previous smile had disappeared. No one ever could’ve guessed that Barry had gone through something like that

 

“It was late,” Barry went on. “The sound woke me up. I came downstairs… and-” he paused. “I saw what looked like a ball of lightning.” Wells took off his glasses as Barry continued.

 

“Inside the lightning, there was a man.”Barry’s expression took on a resigned anger as he said, “He killed my mom.”

 

Hayley felt herself grow tense. Still, Barry talked. “They arrested my dad. He’s still sitting in Iron Heights for her murder. Everyone, the cops, the shrinks, they all told me what I saw was impossible. But what if the man who killed my mom was like me?”

 

Wells tried to make light. “Well, I think I can say you are unequivocally one of a kind,” he said quietly. Hayley rose from her seat, feeling her hands shake.

 

“Hayley? You okay?” Cisco whispered.

 

Hayley took a deep breath. “I-uh, I-I just need some air,” she stammered, all eyes on her now as she stumbled out of the room. When she had somehow made it out into the hall, she placed a hand against the wall to steady herself.

 

For some reason, Barry’s story struck a chord with her, deep down in  a place she’d tried to keep under lock and key. But she couldn’t help it.

 

She couldn’t help but relive  her sister’s death.

 

_“Listen, please, just tell us what you want,” Hayley begged the masked man who held a gun, the barrel pointed straight into her face._

 

_“The boss wants his money,” the man snarled. “So where is it, Poole?” He aimed this at Hayley’s father, who cowered in the corner._

 

_“I-I don’t have it.”_

 

_With a growl, the man wrapped his hand around the throat of Hayley’s sister, Amy and slammed her against the wall, eliciting several whimpers from the girl._

 

_“Listen,” Their father, Mark Poole, struggled to get to his feet, woozy in his rum-soaked state, “I can get you the money. Just give me a little more time.”_

 

_“The boss gave you your fix when the drink wasn’t enough,” the man snapped. “And he hasn’t seen anything for his troubles!”_

 

_“Just a little while longer, a week-”_

 

_“This is your warning,” the man hissed, leveling the gun at Amy._

 

_“NO!” Hayley screamed as the gun went off. The man let go, and Amy’s body dropped to the floor with a thud._

 

_“Get the money, or I’ll come back for her too,” the man said, pointing at Hayley. And then he was gone._

 

_Hayley rushed over to her sister, her red hair falling  into her face as she cried out her sister’s name. “I’m sorry,” her father whispered from across the room. Hayley glared up at him. “This is your fault,” she hissed. “How could you?”_

 

_She broke down into sobs as she looked back at her sister, only to see blood pooling around Amy’s spiky black pixie cut._

"Hayley?"

She looked up to see Cisco approaching her. "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded, painting a sad smile on her face. "Yeah, just-what Barry said-that's so awful, y'know, to lose your mom like that."

"Yeah..." There was an awkward silence.

"Caitlin's down for movie night, by the way."

"Great."

"Yeah." He lingered.

"I'm fine, Cisco."

"Okay." He gave her shoulder a pat and headed back to the Cortex.

Hayley let out a breath.

Close call.

 


End file.
